South Africa’s main opposition party is reacting to Zimbabwe’s MDC criticism of the South African government.
The Democratic Alliance says the breakdown in relations between Zimbabwe’s leading opposition party, MDC, and South Africa’s ruling party, ANC, is a result of the “arrogance of power.”
Before the March parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe, South African president Thabo Mbeki said he expected the vote to be free and fair. The MDC has now accused the ANC of being clearly aligned with Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF Party.
Joe Seremane is the federal chairperson of the Democratic Alliance Party. From Cape Town, he spoke to English to Africa reporter Joe De Capua about the criticism of the South African government.
Mr. Seremane says, “It doesn’t come to us as a surprise. This is exactly what we’ve been trying to say.” Mr. Seremane, who led a failed attempt to send a DA delegation to observe the March Parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe, says, “You don’t take sides. The actions of the ANC…indicate they are four square behind ZANU-PF in spite of whatever they’re doing.”
The DA Member of Parliament says, “Our government is very, very – one would say – proud…the Greeks call it hubris, you know, excessive pride.” He says Mr. Mbeki and the ANC are “too proud to come down to us and say, yes, our policy has failed.” Regarding South Africa’s “quiet diplomacy” toward Zimbabwe, he says, “They want to save face, they are proud. It doesn’t matter they are going in the wrong direction.”
